Rail-joint.



E. E, AUGUST. A

BAIL JOIHT. APPLIGATION FILED 536,5, ,1914.

1 1 22,35 5f Patented Dec. 2Q, 1914.

Finca-Illt Syvum tu@ u i web E' E.' Hu gust visis AEUWARD EMANUEL AUGUST, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Application led August 5, 1914. Serial No. 855,243.

T o all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD' EMANUEL AUGUST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ot Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain novel and useful improvemnts in rail joints, and has particular application to means for connecting the meeting ends ot the two rails so as to secure the same lirmly together, and at the same time prevent the lateral displacement of the rails. Y

In carrying out my invention it is my purpose to provide a simple, yet etlicient form ot rail joint, which may be readily assembled in position. to couple the meetingl ends ot' the rails, the joint being capable otl ready rembval when desired. At the same time provision is made for lockingv the plates forming,r the joint in position so that the liability of the plates working loose is obviated.

lVith the above recited objects and others of a similarnature in view, my invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falli-ng within the scope ot" the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a side view of the meeting ends ot' two rails coupled by means oi my improved joint. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line Q-Q ot' Fig. l. Fig. S is a perspective view of one ot' the plates, showing the key slots therein, Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the plate and showing the lockingr key in locking position and bearing against one of the couplint@r bolts.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail. the letters and B designate the meeting ends otl two rails ot' well known forni. such as railway rails. The rails are provided with the usual bolt holes 1 formed in the webs.

The letters C and C indicate two rail joint plates Jformed ot' any suitable material, such as metal and made sull'iciently long to overlap the meetingr ends of the rails in the usual manner. Bolts D are threaded or otherwise connected to the plate C and areI provided with heads (l connected with the shanks'by means ot' the reduced neck por'- tions ('Z. T he top and bottom longitudinal edges of the plate are beveled as at 3, so that the plate when fitted in position against the webs ot' the meetingends ot the rails will fit snugly in place and bear at its top and bottom edges against the undersides ot' the ball portions ot' the rails and against the top sides ot' the bases of the rails.

The inner side o't the plate C is formed with a series ot T-slots l. that is to say, these slots are formed with relatively widened portions 5 adapted to receive the heads (Z ot the coupling,r bolts ot the joint, -and relatively reduced or narrowed portions 7 in which the neck sections d of the bolts Vlie when the plate has been driven home into coupling position. .\t this time, that is to say when the plate is in coupling position. the heads oi' the bolts lie beneath the overhangingl flanges S-S, forming; the walls of the slots. the relatively narrow slot 9 formed by these. ilanges, permitting the passage ot' the neck portions ot' the coupling bolts.

From the description thus tar given, it will be noted that when the meeting ends of the rails have been rproperlv j iositioned and the coupling' bolts/passed through the webs thereot'. the plate (l may be applied` the widened mouths ot' the T-slots receivingthe bolts. The plate is then driven or shifted longitudinally' ot the rail ends so that the flanges 8 8 will overlie the heads ot' the bolts.

In order to tasten the plate in position, I i

form in the plate a longitudinal threa/ded" bore. 10. which opens through one end/tit' the plate and connnunioates with the T-slot nearest the end ot the plate. A key shaft torined ot' a shank l1 and a head l2 is threaded into this threaded longitudinal bore. and screwed up until the end of the shank abuts against the head ot' the Couplingbolt lyingr in the first slot7 and this It will be seen that when the key is screwed home and bears against the head of the bolt, the plate is prevented from Working or sliding back, and the liability of the plate being thus disengaged is avoided. It will further be seen that When the plate is in position and connecting the rails together,

the bolt heads are concealed, andwvill be prevented from turning, so that the liability of the bolts working loose is avoided, and at the saine time, by reason of the lt'act that the bolts are concealed by the plate, and the plate locked in position, the possibility of the coupling bolts being loosened or the joint lbeing tampered with by unauthorizedv persons, is avoided.

While I have in the present instance shown the invention as applied to one side of the rail, it will of course, be understood that it may be applied to both sides of the rail as desired. lVhen it is desired to remove the plate, as in replacing rails, it is only necessary to employ a tool for the purpose of ,'unscrewing ythe key and Working the same rails having transverse openings in the Webs thereof, of bolts passed through said openings, a-plate having slots formed at the inner side thereof for thereception of the adjacent portions of the bolts, said plate having a longitudinal bore therein communieating With one of the slots, and a key socketed in said'bore and adapted to bear against a fastening bolt to hold the latter in its slot in Vtheplatel 2. The combination With the meeting ends l ing a series of T-slots formed therein for.

the reception of the heads of the bolts, said plate also having a longitudinally threaded bore opening through one end of the plate and communicating with the adjacent T- slot of the plate and a key threaded into the bore and adapted to-bear at its inner end against the adjacent bolt to lock the plate in rail joining position.

3. The combination with the meeting ends of a pair of rails, said ends` having transverse openings in the webs thereof, of bolts passing through said openings, of a plate lying against the Webs of the rails, said plate having a series of T-slots therein for the reception of the heads of the bolts, said plate also having a longitudinal bore opening through one end of the plate, and communicating at its inner end With the adjacentT-slot, a key socketed in said bore and adapted to bear against the portion of the bolt lying in the slot Wi'th which the bore communicates, andl a cap at the end of the plate for covering' the entrance of the bore.

-In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature, in the presence of two Wltnesses.

EDWARD EMANUEL AUGUST. lVitnesses: l

VASHINGTON- BoszoL, Guo. S. ANDERSON. 

